Six New COVID-19 Cases Involving Staff At Congregate Care Facility
Sonora, CA — Tuolumne County has now tripled the number of identified COVID-19 cases in less than 10 days and is also asking the public for help in its contact tracing from non-residents exposure.
Six staff members at Avalon Care Center in Sonora have contracted the coronavirus. The Tuolumne County Public Health Department reports they were informed Sunday that all tested positive and are currently isolating at home. Public Health officials relay that they are coordinating with Avalon representatives and the California Department of Public Health on the trace contact investigations. Residents and staff at the facility have been tested and results are pending. This brings the total number of cases involving county residents to 28.
The health department is also asking for the public’s help in identifying individuals that may have been exposed to coronavirus from yesterday’s (Saturday, June 27) case involving a non-resident testing positive in Tuolumne County, as reported here. The person attended a large group gathering for several days in the county and is now quarantined in their residing county. No further information regarding them is being released.
While health officials relay they were able to identify many of the participants that were residents of other counties, they have not been able to confirm the identities of all who participated in the event. For that reason, public health spokesperson Michelle Jachetta ask, “ If you attended a group event/campout at River Ranch Campground between June 22nd and today, June 28th, you should self-quarantine for 14 days from the last date of exposure and get tested no sooner than 3-5 days after exposure.” The campground is northeast of Tuolumne along Fish Hatchery Road, off FR 1N04.
More information will be available on Monday for those who may have attended the gathering by calling Tuolumne County Public Health’s COVID-19 Call Center at (209) 533-7440.
Health officials employ residents to avoid mass gatherings, stating, “We have had recent multiple incidences of positive cases participating in various private gatherings, impacting our first responders and healthcare workers. Those essential critical infrastructure workers are necessary to maintain our ability to respond and care for our most vulnerable residents.”
Additionally, late Friday night due to a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases, the board of supervisors issued a statement asking residents to avoid mass gatherings, as reported here.
